Goth Fashion Brand Buys Iconic Malibu Hotel for $37.5M

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Dec 8, 2025 7:06 PM ET

Cruising down Pacific Coast Highway, neck craning out the window to get a glimpse at the conditions (and crowds), of the famed righthand pointbreak of Malibu, it’s tough to miss the iconic landmark that is the Surfrider Hotel, its sign looming over the waves.

The hotel has been there since the 1950s, a landmark to the historic surf spot in the Gidget, Beach Blanket Bingo era, and still today, one of California’s most coveted surf spots.

But recently, the boutique, 20-room hotel has been snatched up by what some might think an unlikely new owner: the gothic fashion brand, Chrome Hearts. The clothing and jewelry company purchased the Surfrider Hotel for $37.5 million, “paying more than $1.8 million per room, which puts it among Southern California’s priciest hotel deals in years.⁠”

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It’s a bit of an unlikely pairing – a brand whose products look straight out of magician Criss Angel’s closet, and the chic, mellow vibes of Malibu’s celebrated surf scene.

As for the hotel, here’s a little history:

“Originally built in 1953 as the Malibu Shores Motel, the historic and iconic lodgings sat above one of the most important beaches in the evolution of surf culture, not to mention the exact waves that Kathy ‘Gidget Korner learned to surf on. The motel was present through the roiling sixties, the hippy haze of the seventies, and the decadence of the eighties. It’s in the background of a thousand sepia-tinted photographs. You might find quotes from members of The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, and Neil Young speaking of wild times right here in these rooms.”

And the Chrome Hearts brand? It was created in 1988 by Richard Stark, which according to Complex, has an aesthetic “cultivating an entire biker-inspired lifestyle with premium quality leather, sunglasses, jewelry, and home goods.”

Gothic silver cross pendants coming to the lineup at Malibu? Stay tuned.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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